I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.
Chapter Twenty-Two: San Francisco
As always, Thanatos was there in her dreams.
"You died again," he said calmly. "A combination of blood loss and hypothermia, this time. Why did you decide to shadow travel with an open wound? You know it's dangerous."
"My sister was there," Chrysa replied calmly. "I had to try to save her. How is she?"
"Which sister? Which lifetime?" the god asked, scrolling through a list on his iPhone.
"First lifetime. Rhanis."
"I haven't collected her," Thanatos said with a shrug. "She's a Hunter, right?"
"One of the first," Chrysa confirmed.
"She's not dead. I can't tell you how alive she is though."
Chrysa nodded.
"How long will I be out?"
"You know that dreamtime is different than real time. You're about to wake up, actually. Please try not to die again anytime soon."
Thanatos disappeared as Chrysa blinked awake.
"Please don't get up," Chiron said conversationally from where was sitting in wheelchair form at her bedside. "You might upset your stitches, and I wouldn't want you to lose more blood than you already did."
"Rhanis?" Chrysa asked immediately.
"Stable, but unconscious. With Artemis captured, the link that keeps her immortal is damaged. She might slip into a coma without Artemis' intervention. As it is, Artemis may need to call her brother in to heal her Hunter," Chiron reported. "But since you got her here, I was able to stabilize her. You saved her life, though nearly at the cost of your own. How did you end up with a hole in your shoulder?"
"Bullet wound," Chrysa admitted. "Tuesday morning, in New Mexico. I didn't have time to take it out before we had to mount the Erymanthian Boar for a ride to Arizona."
Chiron blinked at that.
"Nearly a decade and you still manage to surprise me, Ms. Potter," he said with a shake of his head. "Especially since, in regards to your revelations Sunday night, I believe I recognize your first identity. It has been a while, hasn't it, Leuke?"
Chrysa sighed inwardly.
"I was wondering if you'd figure it out. How did you figure it out, for future reference?"
"I might not have if Rhanis wasn't here," Chiron said, gesturing across the room to where the white-haired Hunter lay on the opposite bed. "Black-haired, green-eyed women, while not common, are still not horribly unusual. But you and Rhanis have similar features, and eyes the exact same shade of green. Even among the immortals, there have been very few with those brilliant green eyes. But the true confirmation was that you and Rhanis have identical birthmarks on your left hips."
Chrysa's hand instantly moved to the spot in question. Like her scars, the birthmark had reappeared after she had regained her memories. The mark was only a birthmark in the sense that she had been born with it – it looked more like a tattoo with its glittering green and blue colors. The mark was an ouroboros, the symbol of Oceanus – a serpent biting its tail as it wrapped around the world. Every daughter of Oceanus bore the same mark. None of the sisters had every quite figured out why their father thought they needed such marks – Leuke had been of the opinion that he did it to her so that he would be able to recognize her later, since she was given up as a baby, and then simply continued it with the rest of her sisters.
"And you remembered your mother's," Chrysa sighed.
"Not particularly," Chiron shrugged. "I was actually thinking of Chariclo's. But my wife said that only the Elder Oceanides carried serpents with gold-edged scales. And of the Elder Oceanides, only Leuke Katachthonia was beloved enough by a god to claim his attention thousands of years after her death."
Chrysa tilted her head in acknowledgement of that statement.
"How long have I been out?" she asked.
"It's been a little more than fourteen hours since we found you," Chiron reported. "It is currently three o'clock in the afternoon on December nineteenth."
"When can I get up?" Chrysa pressed.
"That depends on how long it takes for your wounds to heal, and what potions you have in stock," Chiron replied pleasantly. "Unfortunately, none of the Apollo campers are here at the moment. I got you to swallow some ambrosia, but the extent of your injuries means it will take some time to work, and I wasn't willing to give you any more due to your unique physiology."
Chrysa made a face. "Probably wise." She then snapped her fingers, calling out, "Mipsy!"
The house-elf appeared next to the bed, dressed in a smart uniform with the Potter family crest on it.
"Mistress Amaranth is calling Mipsy?" the house-elf asked.
"Yes, Mipsy. Please go to Malfoy Manor and ask if either Narcissa or Draco is free and willing to make a house-call for a bit of healing. Nothing life-threatening, and nothing that would need more than basic wound potions and related restoratives."
"Mipsy will go right away!" the house-elf exclaimed before popping away.
Chiron raised his eyebrows. "May I ask who you've just invited into camp?"
"Narcissa is my adoptive father's cousin, and Draco is her son. He was in my year at Hogwarts, though we didn't get along until we were adults. They're both licensed Healers, though only Draco actively practices," Chrysa explained. "I also was responsible for none of their family being thrown into Azkaban after the war, despite the fact that they were all marked Death Eaters. Lucius – Narcissa's husband – still dislikes me, and the feeling is mutual, but Narcissa and Draco are pleasant enough now."
"Do you believe they'll be busy?" Chiron asked.
"Draco won't admit to it, but he's a bit of a worry-wart, and Narcissa's a mother-hen, so if one of them is even potentially available, they'll be here."
Mipsy popped back in at that moment, holding onto the green robes of a Healer.
"What have you done now, Potter?" Draco Malfoy drawled in his usual manner, even as he scanned her prone form worriedly.
"I have a small hole in my chest and quite a bit of blood loss," Chrysa replied. "It's not serious, but I do need to get back to what I was doing as quickly as possible."
Draco was already pulling potions out of the extended pouch at his waist.
"Where were you and what exactly happened?" Draco demanded.
Chrysa rolled her eyes. More than ten years after graduation, and he was still as demanding as ever.
"I got shot. Muggle weaponry. And then I let the bullet bounce around in my chest while I rode a giant boar from New Mexico to Arizona. And then I overexerted myself magically while fighting a giant metal golem."
Draco simply rolled his eyes as he pulled back the blankets and the edge of her hospital gown.
"Will you ever learn?" he asked, neatly slicing through the bandages with his wand.
"Probably not," Chrysa admitted.
Draco grimaced in disgust at the sight of the wound, even as he began casting diagnostic charms.
"Did you honestly sew it back together?" he asked incredulously.
"We may be slightly magical, but all those good at healing are at home for the holidays," Chrysa replied. "So yes, stitches. It's the easiest Muggle way to stop bleeding. Just cut them and pull them out."
Draco wrinkled his nose, then ignored Chrysa's advice and simply Vanished the thread before dumping a potion into the wound.
Chrysa hissed in pain.
"Wound-Cleaning Potion," Draco said absently, before thrusting another potion into Chrysa's hands. "Blood Replenisher. Drink."
Chrysa downed the potion. Draco had already begun casting spells to heal the wound. It was only a few minutes before Chrysa was good as new – aside from a new scar.
"Stay in bed for a bit longer – I'd prefer until morning. Regular scar-removal cream should be fine to get rid of that scar, but you need to wait at least a week before using it," Draco said briskly, in full healer mode. "I'd recommend you double-check your gown for the Ministry Yule Ball. You know you shouldn't use glamour charms on a recent injury, and you don't want to be fielding awkward questions the whole night – you are coming, aren't you?"
"I plan to," Chrysa said. "I might even bring a date, if I can convince him to stop working for a few minutes. How are Astoria and Scorpius?"
"Scorpius is well," Draco said. "Astoria…well, the curse is getting worse."
She grimaced. Astoria Greengrass-Malfoy's blood-borne curse was the reason Draco had become a Healer in the first place. He'd always had an interest, because of his mother, but he'd planned to emulate his father in being independently wealthy until learning of his beloved's fate.
Chrysa hesitated, then said quietly, "You can find the god Asclepius at his temple in Epidaurus. You might want to try, after the holidays are over. I'm sure Sirius and Remus would be willing to watch Scorpius, if you don't want to leave him with your parents for an extended period. Their Albus is the same age, after all."
Draco tried to hide the look of hope on his face, but he didn't do a very good job. It was unsurprising. This was probably the first good lead he'd had in years.
"That would be nice," he finally admitted. "Scorpius needs more friends his own age."
"During the Ministry Yule Ball, Albus and his siblings will be staying with the Weasley-Thomas cousins. Ron and Hermione's Rose, Bill and Fleur's Dominique, and George and Angelina's Fred are around the same age as well," Chrysa added helpfully. "If I'm at the ball, my two children will be there as well."
Draco looked intrigued.
"You found Nico and Bianca?"
"Does everyone know about your children?" Chiron complained good-naturedly.
"Just family," Chrysa said. "I let Draco and Narcissa in on everything after the second time they had to heal me from something that should have killed me."
"We would have figured out something was up," Draco drawled. "You haven't aged a day since the Battle of Hogwarts over a decade ago – though you have gained some weight so you no longer look half-starved. Even by wizarding standards, it's odd. Everyone noticed something's up. Amaranth released a press statement giving the general gist of things – including the Champion-of-Death thing, not including the reincarnation thing – several years ago. It quelled a lot of the rumors, though we still have to deal with some conspiracy theorists."
Draco shoved the empty potions vials back into his pouch.
"If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to the Manor. We were just finishing dinner when your elf visited, so Mother and Tori are rather anxious to hear what trouble you've gotten yourself into this time."
Chrysa raised an eyebrow.
"They do realize that they could combine their ages and multiply it by a hundred and I would still be older than them, correct?"
Draco lifted a shoulder in an elegant shrug.
"Perhaps. But you look younger, so they feel justified in their worry. See you at Yule, Amaranth."
"Good-bye, Draco," Chrysa replied, before nodding to Mipsy.
The house-elf grabbed Draco's robes and popped him away again.
"Will you be staying in bed until morning?" Chiron asked her.
Chrysa sighed. "We'll probably be meeting Atlas soon enough. If I'm going to face him, I need to be at my best. It will probably be interesting to see."
"Who will win?" Chiron asked quietly. "The Left Hand or the Right? The Hammer or the Knife?"
"A ten-thousand-year-old question will finally be answered," Chrysa agreed. "I'll stay in bed until morning. Morning here will be earlier than morning on the West Coast, so I can probably even get breakfast before heading over to San Francisco."
"What makes you think the rest of your party will be there?" Chiron asked.
"Apollo told Percy to meet Nereus. Nereus hangs out on the San Francisco piers. If I wait in the general area long enough, Percy, Thalia, and Zoë will show up. Which reminds me…"
She snapped her fingers and called out, "Topsy!"
A different house-elf, also dressed in a neat uniform with the Potter crest on it, appeared.
"Mistress called for Topsy?"
"Topsy, please take the cheapest car I have in my Los Angeles garage that will seat four people and park it at the public train station closest to the piers. Then bring me the keys."
"Yes, Mistress," the house-elf agreed.
"Cheapest car?" Chiron asked.
"My cars don't tend to survive these trips very long," Chrysa admitted. "My Maserati got destroyed by the Furies the summer before last. My Porsche got a manticore spike through the windshield last week. It tore up the leather interior. That car was brand new. I don't doubt that whatever care I use to drive the questers to a mountain filled with people who hate me will face the same fate."
Chiron glanced at the clock on the wall.
"I'd stay and keep you company, but I'm supposed to have an archery class in ten minutes, and the Hunters like to show up to commentate…it can get ugly if I'm not there early. Would you like me to send someone in to keep you company?" he asked.
"Does anyone else know I'm here?" Chrysa asked drily.
"Just Mr. D."
"Then no. I'm not really up to games at the moment, and you shouldn't tell anyone else. As much as I'd like to see my children again, no one needs to know about the hiccups in our quest. I'll get Mipsy to bring me some books."
"Very well, then. I will be back later, probably after dinner. Would you like me to ensure you get some?"
"Please."
Chiron nodded and left the room.
The rest of the afternoon and night was rather boring. No one but Chiron and Dionysus knew she was there, and neither could disappear for too long without being noticed. While Dionysus did manage to come by for a rousing game of Exploding Snap, most of her time was spent reading or watching Rhanis' slow breaths.
In the morning, Chiron checked her over twice before allowing her to get up.
"Be careful, Chrysa," he warned. "You are more powerful than any demigod could ever hope to be, but you're not a goddess anymore."
"I know," Chrysa nodded seriously. "But full goddess or not, I may be the only one able to defeat the General. I have to go."
Chiron nodded soberly. "Go."
Instead of Apparating away as she usually would, Chrysa simply called the shadows up around her and stepped into them. She came out in the shadow cast by a building near the San Francisco piers. She sighed when she realized that she had forgotten to account for the time difference in her departure times.
Chrysa walked lazily to the shore, conjured a lawn chair, pulled a book from her bottomless bag, and plopped down, settling in to read until the rest of the questing party got there.
She was drawn from the well-read pages of Quidditch through the Ages by the feel of approaching demigods. She looked up from her book to see a group of three people. Chrysa let a small smile come to her face as she pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head.
Thalia and Percy were crashing into her a moment later.
"It's good to see you too," she said with a small laugh. "I'm fine now, don't worry."
"Rhanis?" Zoë asked quietly from behind them.
"Critical, but stable," Chrysa said soberly. "She needs Artemis back, maybe Apollo's help as well, but Chiron has her stabilized. She'll be okay for a few more days."
"What happened?" Percy asked.
"I stupidly ignored a wound incurred earlier, then overexerted myself. It was a mixture of magical exhaustion and blood loss," Chrysa shrugged. There was no need to mention the hypothermia. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them.
"But you're okay now?" Thalia pressed.
"Chiron did a lot, and I called in my cousin who's a magical Healer to finish up," Chrysa stated. "I even stayed in bed for all my required hours of bed rest. I haven't done that since I was twelve."
"What wound did you ignore?" Zoë asked curiously.
"I got shot fighting the spartoi," Chrysa shrugged. "It's fine now."
"You got shot?" the others demanded.
"It's fine now!" Chrysa repeated. "We can talk while we walk! Have you found Nereus yet?"
"No. But I have dressed Percy to blend in so he can catch him," Zoë said, gesturing to the sole male in the group, who blushed at the attention called to his current get-up.
"I was wondering," Chrysa said thoughtfully. "I didn't think 'vagrant' was your usual style, Percy. Oh! I think I have a camera in here, I'm sure Sally would love to see…"
"No!" Percy cried out. "No pictures! Wearing it is bad enough!"
"Fine," Chrysa said with a put-upon sigh. "Go find Nereus. I can't get too close. Zoë can't either. He'll recognize us."
"Just grab him and don't let go," Zoë advised. "You'll know him when you smell him."
Percy looked doubtful.
"Trust me, you will," Chrysa nodded. "Let's go."
They spent a long time searching the docks. Finally, Chrysa and Zoë stopped as one. Chrysa pointed down a pier where a bunch of homeless men were huddled together in blankets, waiting for the soup kitchens to open for lunch.
"He's that way," Chrysa instructed. "I can sense him."
"He never travels very far from the water," Zoë added. "He likes to sun himself during the day."
"How do I know which one is him?" Percy asked.
"Sneak up," Zoë said. "Act homeless. You will know him. He will smell…different."
"Great," Percy said. "And once I find him?"
"Grab him," Chrysa said. "And hold on. He will try anything and everything to get rid of you. Whatever he does, do not let go. Force him to answer your question."
"We've got your back," Thalia said. She picked a big clump of fuzz that came from who-knows-where off the back of Percy's shirt. "Ew. On second thought…I don't want your back. But we'll be rooting for you."
As Percy headed toward the dock, Chrysa could hear him grumbling about how nice it was to have super-powerful friends.
They watched as he traveled slowly down the dock, drifting back and forth in order to get close enough to smell everyone. Finally, he approached the end of the pier, where an ancient-looking man was sleeping in a patch of sunlight. He wore pajamas and a fuzzy bathrobe that probably used to be white. He was overweight, with a white beard that turned yellow, like Dumbledore's when one of Fred and George's pranks had flipped a soup bowl all down his front, except this was dried and crusty.
"That's Nereus," Chrysa muttered to Zoë. She nodded in agreement.
Percy sat down near him. The guy moved his head to look at him, but Percy didn't look back, simply staring out at the water. Nereus turned away.
Percy jumped him.
"Ahhhh!" Nereus screamed. "Help me!"
Percy seemed to be hanging on for dear life.
"Maybe now would be a good time to find the video camera," Chrysa said thoughtfully. "I could play this at his birthday party one year."
"Or his wedding," Thalia offered. "If he lives that long."
"That's a crime!" a homeless man yelled. "Kid rolling an old man like that!"
Percy rolled down the pier, Nereus attached to him, until his head smacked into a post. Nereus tried to make a break for it, but Percy tackled him from behind.
"I don't have any money!" Nereus yelled.
"I don't want money!" Percy replied as Nereus struggled. "I'm a half-blood! I want information!"
Nereus seemed to struggle harder.
"Heroes!" Why do you always pick on me!"
Nereus thrashed around, but Percy held on. They staggered toward the end of the pier.
"Oh, no!" Percy yelled. "Not the water!"
Nereus yelled in triumph and jumped off the edge. Together, they plunged into the San Francisco Bay.
"We might as well head down that way," Chrysa said.
Thalia and Zoë nodded, and they began to walk towards the shore, just in time to see an orca leap out of the water, Percy attached to his dorsal fin. A bunch of tourists went, "Whoa!" Percy had the gall to wave.
Nereus collapsed on the edge of the boat dock a few minutes later, heaving and gasping. Chrysa, Zoë, and Thalia ran down the steps from the pier.
"You got him!" Zoë said.
"You don't have to sound so amazed," Percy replied.
Nereus moaned. "Oh, wonderful. An audience for my humiliation! The normal deal, I suppose? You'll let me go if I answer your question?"
"I've got more than one question," Percy said.
"Only one question per capture! That's the rule!" Nereus argued.
Percy glanced at them, looking lost.
"I've seen you in worse positions, Nereus," Chrysa said, looking him up and down. "Though if that's how you choose to look now, I see why you haven't had children since the Elder Days."
Nereus squinted at her, before recognition filled his eyes.
"Oh. It's you. Doris mentioned you were back. Why didn't he just ask you his questions? He obviously knows you. I'm not the only omniscient person running around."
Chrysa shrugged. "I'm not an immortal now. I still know things, but it takes a while. We don't have that kind of time."
Percy sighed and asked, "All right, Nereus. Tell me where to find this terrible monster that could bring an end to the gods. The one Artemis was hunting."
The Old Man of the Sea smiled, showing off his mossy green teeth.
"Oh, that's too easy," he said evilly. "He's right there."
Nereus pointed to the water at Percy's feet.
"Where?" Percy asked.
"The deal is complete!" Nereus gloated. With a pop, he turned into a goldfish and did a backflip into the sea.
"You tricked me!" Percy yelled.
"Wait," Thalia said, eyes widening. "What is that?"
"MOOOOOOOO!"
They all looked down. There in the water, right where Nereus had pointed, was a creature swimming next to the dock. It had the front half of a bull, and the back half of a serpent.
Chrysa felt a sinking sensation in her chest. She did know this creature. It was exactly as she feared.
"Ah, Bessie," Percy said. "Now now."
"Mooo!"
"Percy, that is not a Bessie," Chrysa said firmly, stepping forward. "That would be the creature known as the Ophiotaurus, who was born directly from Chaos."
She stepped toward the creature, which obviously recognized her. It fearfully scooted closer toward Percy.
Chrysa sighed. "Percy, do you know this creature?"
"Yeah, she – he got caught in one of those underwater fishing nets near Camp Half-Blood. The hippocampi sent Blackjack to bring me to help him out," Percy said. "It was pretty hard, he wouldn't let me cut him out, so I had to untangle the whole thing. She – he – was cute. I thought he was a girl, which is why I called him Bessie. And then I saw him at the Hoover Dam when we were there."
Thalia shook her head in disbelief.
"And you just forgot to mention this before?"
"Well…yeah," Percy said sheepishly.
"I am a fool," Zoë said suddenly. "I know this story!"
"What story?" Percy asked.
"From the War of the Titans," she said. "My…my father told me about this, thousands of years ago. This is the beast we are looking for."
"Bessie?" Percy asked, looking down at the bull serpent. "But…he's too cute. He couldn't destroyed the world."
"That is how we were wrong," Zoë said. "We've been anticipating a huge, dangerous monster, but the Ophiotaurus does not bring down the gods that way. He must be sacrificed."
"MMMMM!" Bessie lowed.
"I don't think he likes the S-word," Percy said as he patted the Ophiotaurus on the head. He scratched the creature's ears, but the creature was still trembling. Chrysa took a step away from him, and he seemed to calm down a bit."
"How could anyone hurt him?" Percy asked. "He's harmless."
Zoë nodded.
"There is power in killing innocence," Chrysa said quietly, keeping her eyes fixed on the creature, whose eyes were fixed on her in return. "Terrible power. The Fates ordained a prophecy eons ago. They said that whoever killed the Ophiotaurus and cast its entrails into the fire would have the power to destroy the gods."
"MMMMMM!"
"Um," Percy said. "Maybe we should avoid the E-word as well."
Thalia stared at the Ophiotaurus with wonder.
"The power to destroy the gods…ow? I mean, what would happen?"
"No one knows," Zoë said. "The first time, during the Titan War, the Ophiotaurus was in fact slain by an ally of the Titans…." Her eyes widened and she looked over at Chrysa.
Chrysa sighed.
"My first incarnation," she said. "I was the one who, ah," – she glanced at the still-trembling cow serpent – "illed-kay the creature and was preparing to acrifice-say it to ire-fay. It was so long ago…I'd almost forgotten."
"You…you worked with Kronos?" Percy demanded.
"Before the gods," Chrysa said. "He wasn't always a piece of filth. After the whole eating-his-children debacle, I switched my allegiance to Rhea and the gods, but I remained with the Titans as a spy. I was the one who told Zeus about the prophecy, and he managed to send an eagle to snatch the entrails away before I could cast them into the fire. It was a close call. Now, after more than eight thousand years, the Ophiotaurus has been reborn."
Thalia sat down on the dock. She stretched out her hand. The Ophiotaurus went directly to her. Thalia placed her hand on his head. The creature shivered.
Thalia's expression was concerning. She almost looked…hungry.
"We have to protect him," Percy declared. "If Luke gets a hold of him –"
"Luke wouldn't hesitate," Thalia muttered. "The power to overthrow Olympus. That's…that's huge."
"Yes, it is, my dear," said a man's voice with a heavy accent. "And it is a power you shall unleash."
The Ophiotaurus made a whimpering sound and submerged.
They all looked up. They'd been so busy talking, they'd allowed themselves to be ambushed.
Chrysa cursed inwardly. She should have been more on guard. Standing behind them, his two-color eyes gleaming wickedly, was Dr. Thorn, the manticore himself.
"This is just pairrr-fect," the manticore gloated.
Chrysa glared at him. This was the creature who had taken her daughter from her. This was the creature who ensured that her ward was still in enemy hands. What he had done was unforgivable. He needed to die.
He was wearing a ratty black trench coat over his Westover Hall uniform, which was torn and stained. His military haircut had grown out spiky and greasy. He hadn't saved recently, so his face was covered in silver stubble. Basically, he didn't look much better than the guys down at the soup kitchen. He didn't smell any better either.
"Long ago, the gods banished me to Persia," the manticore said. 'I was forced to scrounge for food on the edges of the worlds, hiding in forests, devouring insignificant human farmers for my meals. I never got to fight any great heroes. I was not feared and admired in the old stories! But now that will change. The Titans shall honor me, and I shall feast on the flesh of half-bloods!"
On either side of him stood two armed security guards, some of the mortal mercenaries Chrysa had caught sight of in D.C. Two more stood on the next boat dock over, just in case they tried to escape that way. There were tourists all around – walking down the waterfront, shopping at the pier above them – but that wouldn't stop the manticore from acting. It wouldn't stop Chrysa either.
She subtly moved her hand behind her back and snapped her wrist so that her wand fell into it. She cast a wide-range Notice-Me-Not spell around the area, then added a Muggle-Repelling ward. She noticed the guards twitch when she cast it, but that was their only reaction. They must have been warded against magic.
"Where…where are the skeletons?" Percy asked the manticore.
He sneered in response.
"I do not need those foolish undead! The General thinks I am worthless? He will change his mind when I defeat you myself!"
"We beat you once before," Percy said bravely.
"Ha! You could barely fight me with a goddess on your side. And alas…that goddess is preoccupied at the moment. There will be no help for you now."
Zoë notched an arrow and aimed it straight at the manticore's head. The guards on either side of them raised their guns.
"Wait!" Percy said. "Zoë, don't!"
The manticore smiled. "The boy is right, Zoë Nightshade. Put away your bow. It would be a shame to kill you before you witnessed Thalia's great victory."
"What are you talking about?" Thalia growled. She had her shield and spear ready.
"Surely it is clear," the manticore purred. "This is your moment. This is why Lord Kronos brought you back to life. You will sacrifice the Ophiotaurus. You will bring its entrails to the sacred fire on the mountain. You will gain unlimited power. And for your sixteenth birthday, you will overthrow Olympus."
No one spoke. It made terrible sense. Thalia was only two days away from turning sixteen. She was a child of the Big Three. And here was a choice, a terrible choice that could mean the end of the gods. It was just like the prophecy said. Thalia herself looked completely stunned.
Chrysa waited patiently. As much as she wanted to end the manticore's life for taking her daughter from her – even if she'd gotten her daughter back mere hours later – she needed to wait. She needed to know Thalia's choice. If she chose to destroy the gods…Chrysa loved her sister, but Leuke was a pragmatist. Nico and Bianca would not survive if Olympus did not survive. If ensuring Olympus' survival meant she had to kill her own sister…she would do it. She didn't want to, but she would do it.
It wouldn't be the first time.
"You know it is the right choice," the manticore told her. "Your friend Luke recognized it. You shall be reunited with him. You shall rule this world together under the auspices of the Titans. Your father abandoned you, Thalia. He cares nothing for you. And now you shall gain power over him. Crush the Olympians underfoot, as they deserve. Call the beast! It will come to you. Use your spear."
"Thalia," Percy said. "Snap out of it!"
She looked at him, dazed and uncertain.
"I…I don't –"
"Your father helped you," Percy said. "He sent the metal angels."
Chrysa really needed to find out what happened in the twenty-four hours she was gone.
"He turned you into a tree to preserve you," Percy continued. He looked over at Chrysa desperately.
It probably wasn't what he expected her to do, but Chrysa reached up and slapped Thalia's cheek. The fog cleared from her eyes immediately.
"Ow!" she said. "What was that for?"
Chrysa ignored her, stepping forward towards the manticore instead.
"I don't like it when people try to manipulate my friends into things," she said, a deadly edge to her voice. She took another step forward. One of the mortal guards moved his gun sight from Zoë to her. "I don't like you much at all."
The area around them had grown darker. It was a cloudy day anyway, but now the shadows on their little pier grew thick and heavy about them. One of the mortal guards shivered.
"Do you know who I am, manticore?" Chrysa asked idly, tilting her head slightly.
The manticore sneered, though Chrysa could see the underlying fear starting to creep into him. Every shadow in the world was hers, after all. Even the shadows of the mind.
"The little demigod witch," he sneered. "Zeus' little whore."
Chrysa laughed, but there was no warmth in it. It was the way Leuke had laughed before the gods…the way Bellatrix had laughed, the way Voldemort had laughed.
"Whore? I am no whore, thought I've been called worse. But I am more than a 'little demigod witch'."
The shadows were still rising around her. She could feel their familiar coolness brushing the backs of her hands and the sides of her neck, the only skin she had exposed in the cool weather. They had already overtaken the more distant mercenaries, who were out of view of the manticore and his closer minions.
Her voice was quiet, but the whisper echoed through the area. Everything within her wards was silent.
"I am the Deceiver. The Contriver. The Whisperer. The Terrifying, Night-wanderer, Knowing One. First-born, Darkly-cloaked, Exacter of Justice. Queen of those Below. Lady of the First Throne. I am Leuke Katachthonia, and I am your end."
The manticore's eyes widened, and he tried to move, to attack, but it was too late. The shadows overcame him. He was…and then he wasn't. The shadows ripped him to shreds.
Chrysa didn't flinch as the blood splattered across her face and clothes. It would be annoying to get out of her hair later. Congealed blood always was.
There was no blood from their mortal enemies. The shadows had simply consumed them. They would be instantly taken to the Fields of Punishment.
She turned back around to see the shocked looks on her companions' faces. Zoë's eyes were wide, but she looked otherwise composed. Thalia and Percy were gaping in shock. Zoë at least knew about this side of her. Thalia and Percy had no idea.
Chrysa sighed as she dug a handkerchief out of her messenger bag to clean her face off. She only managed to smear it further across her face before remembering she was a witch and there was a spell for that. She pulled out her wand and waved it over herself.
"Tergeo!" she ordered. The blood was siphoned off of her face and clothing and into the ocean below, much to the displeasure of the Ophiotaurus, if the resulting "MOOOO!" was any indication.
"How could you…how did you?" Percy stuttered. "That wasn't your normal magic."
Chrysa looked away.
"I told you, I'm much older than I seem. I told you I was an immortal – a nymph. But I was more than that. I was a goddess in my own right. When I regained my memories, I regained my powers as well. Just not my immortality."
"But you're immortal," Percy said, looking confused.
"Not by my own power," Chrysa sighed. "I'm immortal because Thanatos – Death – will not take me. My soul is tied to the living world." She chuckled. "I suppose you could say the world is my Horcrux."
"What is this Horcrux you speak of?" Zoë asked.
"It is of no importance," Chrysa sighed. She looked over at Thalia. "I hope you learned your lesson. It isn't easy to resist power, is it?"
Thalia blushed as if she was ashamed.
"We've all considered it," Chrysa said quietly, laying a hand on her sister's shoulder. "The power to act on our darkest desires…it is tempting. Even I have thought about it. When I died in my last life, with Nico and Bianca…it was because Zeus was attempting to kill them. Their father saved them. I died. But that doesn't discount the fact that he targeted what is most precious to me. When I first came back to my memories, I considered it. He didn't know what I had once again become. I had only known him as my father for a few months. I could have struck against him and he would never have seen me coming. I could avenge the wrongs against me, but that wouldn't help anyone. And revenge…revenge carries no satisfaction. It might feel good in the moment, but once that moment is over, what you lost is still gone. And then you have to deal with the consequences of your actions. Would it really be worth it to overthrow the gods?"
"They haven't done the best job," Thalia said slowly.
"But they protect the mortals," Zoë said. "When Kronos reigned, the mortals were nothing more than cheap entertainment, or occasionally appetizers. It is why the gods will not eat the flesh of mortals – they will not do the same as Kronos did."
"You were there?" Percy asked.
Zoë nodded shortly.
"I was very young. I was only four when the war ended."
"We need to go," Chrysa said, looking at Zoë soberly. "You know where."
"Where?" Percy asked.
Zoë's face was the color of the fog. She pointed across the bay, past the Golden Gate Bridge. In the distance, a single mountain rose up above the cloud layer.
"The garden of my sisters," she identified. "I must go home."
"Well, we can't enter until sunset anyway, so I think we have time for lunch," Chrysa nodded firmly.
"But if we have to get to that mountain, shouldn't we leave now?" Thalia asked. "It looks pretty far away."
"I had one of my house-elves bring up a car to San Francisco," Chrysa shrugged. "I'm parked, like, four blocks from here."
"What about Bessie?" Percy asked.
Chrysa looked down at the Ophiotaurus.
"I kind of forgot about him. Oops. I guess we can't just leave him here. Percy, he seems to think you're his protector. You and I will stay here while Zoë and Thalia go pick up lunch."
"But he doesn't like you," Thalia pointed out.
"But I'm the most dangerous person here," Chrysa countered. "You go get lunch. I'll look up directions to the mountain."
She pulled her wallet out of her bag and handed it to Thalia.
"You remember my pin code, right?"
"1933?"
"The year Bianca was born," Chrysa confirmed with a nod. "Don't forget drinks! We all need water."
The two girls walked hesitantly away. Percy plopped down on the pier, trailing on hand into the water to pet the cow-serpent's nose while Chrysa dug through her messenger bag.
"Book, potions, tent, bandages, nectar, ambrosia…ah! Here it is!" She pulled out her iPhone.
"I thought we weren't supposed you use cell phones?" Percy asked. "Doesn't it attract monsters?"
"Between my magic and my quasi-immortality, I don't give off the same signals that a demigod does," Chrysa replied as she typed on the device. "Hmm...According to this, sunset is at 4:54 in San Francisco today. It is currently one o'clock. We have three hours to do something about the Ophiotaurus and get to the top of that mountain…which Safari says is called Mount Tamalpais. And my maps app says it will take me…one hour and three minutes to drive there. Add in an extra half hour for traffic, and another hour to climb the mountain, and we have an hour and a half to do something about the Ophiotaurus and get to my car."
Zoë and Thalia returned at that point, carrying bags full of fast food from In-N-Out Burger.
"Any ideas about the Ophiotaurus?"
"You could call one of your sisters?" Zoë offered.
"There's an idea," Chrysa said with a nod. She glanced up at the sky. The sun was finally coming out of the clouds. "Percy, can you lift the water up into the sun?"
Thalia and Percy's eyes widened as they realized her plan, though Percy soon closed his in concentration as he raised his hand, lifting the water from the ocean into the sun.
"Will you be okay to hold it there?" Chrysa asked.
"I think so," Percy replied. His eyes were still closed, but his voice was calm. "Just don't take too long."
"O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering," Chrysa said, pulling a drachma from her messenger bag and tossing it through the rainbow that formed in the mist. "Show me Amphitrite, in the palace of Atlantis."
As soon as the sea queen appeared, Chrysa asked, "How fast can you get to San Francisco? It's somewhat urgent."
Amphitrite blinked at her. From behind her, Poseidon and Triton stared at her surprise appearance, as did the rest of what Chrysa supposed to be the under-the-sea Council.
"Does this have to do with the problem you called me about a few days ago?" Amphitrite asked.
"Tangentially," Chrysa replied. "We're about to head towards the Garden of the Hesperides, but I need someone to transport a sea creature to Olympus. As the goddess of sea creatures, I figured you were the best bet – especially since this creature isn't going anywhere without someone I trust with my life."
"This meeting will be over shortly. Can it wait that long?" Amphitrite asked.
"No more than an hour," Chrysa replied gravely.
Amphitrite nodded, just as serious.
"I'll be there." The sea-goddess waved her hand through the rainbow, cutting the connection.
"That was Amphitrite?" Thalia asked interestedly. "Won't she less likely to help us if she sees Percy?"
"Why wouldn't she like me?" Percy asked, confused.
"Lady Amphitrite is wed to Lord Poseidon," Zoë explained. "She is thy stepmother, Percy."
"Amphitrite doesn't hate Poseidon's demigods," Chrysa said. "She knew going into it that Poseidon wouldn't be faithful. Her only demand was that she be given the respect due her position and that Poseidon not limit her freedom. Poseidon agreed. Amphitrite hasn't met many of Poseidon's children, but she's always kind to them."
"What do we do now?" Thalia asked.
"Eat our lunch," Chrysa shrugged. "Wait for Amphitrite. Then we can go pick up my car and head to the mountain."
They'd each managed two burgers and a pack of French fries before a glimmer in the water heralded Amphitrite's approach. The sea rose beside Chrysa and melted into Amphitrite.
"What is it you need, sister?" she asked.
Chrysa merely pointed downwards. Amphitrite looked down, then cursed in Ancient Greek.
"Is that the Ophiotaurus?"
"Unfortunately," Chrysa replied.
"MOOOOOOO!" the cow-serpent said.
"It's nothing against you," Chrysa told him. "You're just a little problematic at the moment." She looked up at her sister. "Can you transport him to Olympus? While I don't doubt yours and Poseidon's loyalty, I worry for traitors. With Aigaios and Thamas have been causing difficulties…."
"I will take him directly to the throne room," Amphitrite promised. "Go take care of the rest of the problem."
The sea goddess looked at the rest of the group, her eyes coming to rest on Percy.
"Hello, Perseus Jackson, son of my husband," she greeted in a neutral voice. "I am Amphitrite, Queen of the Seas, goddess of saltwater and sea creatures."
Percy, Zoë, and Thalia all bowed lowly, though Percy had to be nudged into it by Zoë.
"It's an honor," Percy said, shifting slightly at her focus on him.
"We have been watching you with great interest," Amphitrite stated. "You are a son of the sea. Your actions speak for us all. Do not disappoint us."
"I…I'll try not to," Percy said.
Amphitrite nodded regally, before turning to Zoë.
"You are Pleione's youngest, are you not?"
"Yes, Queen Amphitrite," Zoë replied.
"Shall I pass your greetings on to your mother?"
Zoë looked uncomfortable.
"If it does not trouble you, Queen Amphitrite."
Amphitrite nodded again. She reached out and hugged Chrysa.
"I expect to see you on the morrow at the Council," she said firmly. "Do not make me lose you again."
"I won't," Chrysa promised. Her voice went cold. "The sharpest blade can easily defeat the might of a hammer."
"I pray that is true," Amphitrite said. "I will take the creature to Olympus now, and remain with it until the Council. Be safe, sister."
She disappeared back into the water, and the Ophiotaurus with her.
AN: Sorry about the late update. Yesterday was exhausting, and I completely forgot once I got home. Hope you enjoyed!